Smart Wearable Nanopaper Patch for Continuous Multiplexed Optical Monitoring of Sweat Parameters

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology
• Optical Sensing

Background:

• Simultaneous, real-time, and continuous monitoring of multiple biomarkers using wearable optical sensors remains a significant challenge.
• Existing wearable sensors often lack the capability for multiplexed analysis of various physiological and chemical parameters.
• There is a growing demand for non-invasive, personalized health monitoring solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel smart wearable optical sensor (SWOS) platform for simultaneous, real-time, and continuous monitoring of multiple biomarkers.
• To demonstrate the capability of the SWOS platform for fluorimetric analysis of sweat volume and pH.
• To validate the SWOS platform's effectiveness in personalized health monitoring through on-body experiments.

Main Methods:

• Development of a multiplexed sweat sensor sticker integrated with an IoT-enabled readout module.
• Immobilization of copper chloride/fluorescein within transparent chitin nanopaper (ChNP) for selective and reversible color/fluorescence changes.
• On-body continuous monitoring of sweat volume (5-45 μL) and pH (4.0-7.0) during exercise in athletic volunteers.

Main Results:

• The SWOS platform successfully achieved simultaneous, real-time, and continuous fluorimetric monitoring of sweat volume and pH.
• The sensor demonstrated selective and reversible detection of moisture and pH variations.
• Human experiments confirmed the efficient application of the SWOS for smart perspiration analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed SWOS platform addresses the unmet need for simultaneous, real-time, and continuous multi-biomarker monitoring.
• The system offers a promising approach for personalized health monitoring through sweat analysis.
• The SWOS platform has potential for extension to monitor other biomarkers in various biofluids, including exhaled breath.